Healthy Eggplant Recipes

On Crete, this pilaf is often made with xynohondros, or cracked wheat simmered in soured goat's milk. A sprinkling of feta pays homage to that flavor.

Hearty and filling, this eggplant and white bean ragout is vegetarian comfort food. Tossing the eggplant with salt draws out excess moisture from the vegetable, making it less bitter and more firm upon cooking. To make this recipe gluten-free, sub rice or gluten-free pasta for the couscous. Garnish with additional chopped flat-leaf parsley or basil, if desired.

We cook the eggplant in the oven to speed up the recipe and keep things from getting too unruly on the stovetop. While the eggplant roasts, line up all of your ingredients and begin cooking to make this easy eggplant curry come together seamlessly. Any leftovers will hold up well and are great for taking to work for lunch.

If you like "eggplant in garlic sauce" from your favorite Chinese restaurant, this is the dish for you! It's spicy and slightly sweet, but not sticky-sweet like some restaurant versions tend to be. Keep some basic Asian condiments in your arsenal and you can easily and quickly pull off this garlic eggplant recipe at home! Also, because this whole dish comes together very fast, have everything ready to add to the pan before you start cooking.

The combination of slightly smoky grilled eggplant and sweet tomatoes is delightful. The eggplant-tomato mixture served over whole-wheat pasta with fresh basil and a bit of salty cheese makes an easy, healthy weeknight dinner.

Grilled eggplant and sausage are paired with chopped fresh tomatoes and served over creamy polenta in this easy summer dinner. Swap the polenta for whole-wheat pasta for a faster meal.

The sweet flavor and plump flesh of ripe tomatoes are a natural fit with the silky texture that eggplant gets from grilling. You can get the same effect by broiling the eggplant for about 4 minutes per side. Serve over creamy polenta for an easy healthy dinner, or swap in whole-wheat pasta for the polenta for a faster weeknight supper.

A combination of tofu and nutritional yeast creates a convincing stand-in for ricotta in this easy vegan eggplant lasagna. It's layered with the eggplant and a quick homemade tomato sauce, then topped with dairy-free cheese substitute for a satisfying casserole that'll please meat eaters and vegans alike. It also happens to be gluten-free!

This cheesy baked eggplant Parmesan has no breading, which means it's easier to make than the traditional version. There's no dredging or frying--instead, the eggplant is roasted until tender before being layered in the casserole dish with a tangy homemade tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. And without breading, this satisfying eggplant Parmesan is also gluten-free!

One of the most popular street foods in Israel is a sabich, an overstuffed sandwich that always includes eggplant and hard-boiled eggs--along with a potential kitchen sink of salads and sauces. This fork-and-knife version inspired by one served at Tel Aviv's Yom Tov Café is way less messy to eat. Try this healthy sandwich for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

This cheeseburger and eggpant Parm fusion recipe is a winning combination. Breaded eggplant slices are topped with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and a delicious grilled lean beef burger--it's American classic meets Italian restaurant favorite! To make it a complete meal, serve with spaghetti with a side of steamed vegetables.

This recipe pairs a fragrant rosemary-laced eggplant and bell pepper sauce with steamed halibut steaks. Served over a bed of fresh spinach with whole-grain baguette slices, this dinner is on the table in just 45 minutes.

This Middle Eastern dish is most often made with ground meat and eggplant (or potatoes) and topped with a thick béchamel sauce. To reduce fat and calories, our makeover moussaka recipe uses fat-free milk, low-fat yogurt, and light ricotta cheese for the topping, but even with those subtitutions, it still delivers on taste!

Moussaka is a Middle Eastern baked main dish, typically made by layering slices of eggplant with a seasoned ground beef or lamb mixture. This protein-filled vegetarian version replaces the meat with white beans but will still delight any and all meat-eaters at your table.

This Middle-Eastern-inspired dish uses just a small amount of lamb to stuff the eggplant, which keeps the saturated fat in check. It calls for cooked brown rice, which you can prepare up to a day ahead. Save time by using instant brown rice, which cooks in under 10 minutes.

This layered casserole is inspired by classic cheese enchiladas, minus the fuss of rolling and stuffing individual tortillas. You'd never guess that within this comforting Tex-Mex casserole hides a layer of thinly sliced eggplant. The thin slices become tender when roasted and add a subtle savory note.

Two favorite Italian dishes--lasagna and eggplant Parm--are rolled into one in this stuffed vegetable recipe.

Classic spaghetti and meatballs gets a major makeover in this 1-hour main dish recipe! Instead of regular pasta, we opt for low-calorie, low-carb spaghetti squash, and we switch out the beef meatballs with homemade turkey-apple meatballs, which are lower in saturated fat. It's a healthy meal your whole family will enjoy.

Eggplant parmesan is always a special treat, but it's even better served up on a slice of grilled focaccia bread!

Eggs Benedict is a popular choice for breakfast or brunch, but the traditional recipe is high in calories and fat. In this lighter version, we replace the English muffin, Canadian bacon and hollandaise sauce with golden brown, breaded eggplant slices, a chunky Creole sauce and a yogurt-based sauce flavored with lime and mustard.